How does the body distribute essential fatty acids?
Essential fatty acids are distributed through the same vehicles that carry cholesterol throughout the body. They are found in chylomicrons, VLDL, LDL, IDL, HDL and the other carriers. In fact, a molecule of essential fat has to be hitched to a molecule of cholesterol to transport cholesterol in these vehicles. Fat is carried in a watery system (our blood stream) by adding lecithin. Lecithin allows oil and water, which normally don’t mix, to mix quite readily. This is because one end of the lecithin molecule is water-soluble while the other is oil-soluble. It therefore forms an interface between water and oil. Proteins and minerals are also involved as carriers in the transport of fatty acids throughout the body.
